Escape
by Phantom Actress
Summary: Her name was Ember Moon. She had once been called, Imperial Princess Leia Vader. But she had run away from that life. Now Ember lives on Tatooine, with a kind family, hoping that her father will never find her.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Star Wars**

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Chapter One

After that, Leia had to get away. From her father. From the palace. From the only place, she had ever known.

Her father was the most powerful man in the galaxy. Everyone, young and old, knew the name, Emperor Darth Vader. Most knew his daughter's name, too. Imperial Princess Leia Amidala Vader. Most feared both names. Of course, the emperor could kill you at any time. But why people feared her name, Leia did not understand. Out of the two, Leia was less fearful. She was only fourteen. What could she do? Leia hadn't understood why her father's name was feared. Until then, at least. That was why Leia had to run away.

At exactly midnight, Leia got up from her bed and grabbed her backpack full of supplies. She ran over to her window. There was a TIE fighter waiting for her. Leia grinned. As quietly as she could, Leia unlocked her window. It opened. Leia waited for a window of the fighter to be opened before climbing inside.

As promised, her two best friends were inside. Marck Hems was a doctor-in-training. He had his medical kit in hand. His wife, Karibee was a piolet. Even though she was young, Leia knew she was the best piolet in the galaxy. She was in the front, gun in hand. After closing the window, Karibee gave her gun to Marck. Karibee put her hands on the wheel. She started flying away. Leia took a seat and put her seat belt on.

"Thanks for helping me out with this, guys," said Leia.

Karibee groaned. "Do you have to say that a million times, Leia? Just shut up and let Marck do his magic."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Leia? You know you don't have to," Marck warned.

Leia nodded. "I don't want him to ever find me. Ever."

Marck took a deep breath. He took out a flaming device. Leia held out her finger. She held her breath as Marck lighted the flamer. Slowly, he brought it to her fingers.

It burned as it should. A hot pain trickled through her. Leia didn't want her friends to see she was crying, but she couldn't help it. Marck looked up at one point, seeing her tears.

"Do you want me to stop?" he wondered.

"Keep going," Leia answered.

In a few minutes, Marck had burned off all her fingerprints. Next, he moved to her face. He turned off the fire and released a knife from the flamer. Leia turned her face up. She closed her eyes. Marck cut her face in three different places. Leia winced at the pain. She wished it could be over. But Leia couldn't go back. How could she even face her father again? He placed large ban-aids over the wounds. They would scare, once they healed, so no one could recognize her face. Marck was done in almost no time at all.

"I'm so sorry, Leia," whispered Marck.

"Thank you, Marck," Leia said, louder.

"Oh, no," Karibee muttered, looking at the rearview mirror, "We've got trouble."

"What?" Leia was already starting to panic.

"Daddy found out you're gone," Karibee answered, "I can see Tatooine. We'll crash there."

Marck was busy putting his supplies away but stopped when he heard the word crash. "Um, Karibee, id you say, crash?"

"Yup. We won't actually crash. Just, you know, trick them into thinking that," explained Karibee.

"Just don't kill us, Karibee."

"Challenge accepted, doc."

There was a loud popping sound. Leia screamed as she jerked to the side. Everything did. Karibee looked out the window and cursed.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked, fear filling her eyes.

"They shot our fighter! The wing broke. We've got to get out of here. I think that we are close enough to Tatooine that we'll make it," Karibee told them. Then she said underneath her breath, "D*mn piolet. If Vader knew that we have the princess on board…"

The ship fell faster to the ground. Leia could barely breathe. The ship was shaking like flowers in the wind. Leia's ears started to pop. She wanted to throw up.

"Can we use the parachutes?" Marck yelled over the noise.

"I don't think so! We're too far down! Hang on!" his wife shouted back. "I-I love you, Marck!"

"I love you, Kari."

The ship hit the ground. Pain burned in Leia's right arm. She gasped. Leia knew there was no time to lose. The plane would explode soon. Leia sprinted away from the ship. She called out to Karibee and Marck.

Karibee came dragging Marck's limp body from the plane.

"Run, kid! The ship's gonna explode!" Karibee ordered.

Adrenaline rushed through Leia's blood. She raced away from the scene. Karibee followed her.

Once they were about 500 feet away from the plane, they stopped. Karibee set her husband down. Now that they were safe, Leia's arm started to hurt. A lot. The left over pain from her face and hands didn't help her at all. She ignored the pain. Marck was in a worse condition. His left leg was definitely broken, his head was pouring blood, and his eyes told Leia he was in deep pain. Worse than her.

"Leia," Marck chocked out, "Your arm… It's broken, isn't it?"

"I'll be fine," Leia assured him.

"If Vader ever finds out…"

"He won't, Marck."

Leia? Leia? Where are you, Leia? Why did you run away? Leia? Leia! LEIA!

Leia ignored the voice. She blocked her father from her head. He sounded worried and hurt. Maybe a bit angry.

"Karibee, I love you," Marck told his wife.

"You're so wonderful you made me forget my reply to 'I love you,'" Karibee said, taking a hold of his hand.

Whenever Marck told her he loved her, that was how Karibee responded.

Marck let out a small groan. "Karibee, please, protect her."

And he was gone. Dead. However, you said it.

They spent hours crying over his body. The savior. The man who had once saved Leia's life. He was the only man Karibee had ever loved. But he was dead.

Marck was buried at one o'clock the next day. The two girls stood at his sad grave as the suns came down.

Leia was wondering what would they do now?

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**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It makes me happy! **

**I don't own Star Wars.**

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Chapter Two

Leia's stomach growled. Again. They had finished off the last bits of food they had brought five days ago. Now they starved. Leia was becoming more and more impatient about this whole deal. She would get food. No matter what the cost. Even eating the sand.

"Leia, I'm gonna go search for food," Karibee told her.

"I'm coming with you." Leia slowly stood up.

"No. I don't want you to have to face one of those Tatooine villages. Stay here, Leia."

Leia crossed her arms. She scowled. "No! You'll eat all the food! Please!"

"Now, Princess-"

"Do. Not. Call. Me. Princess," Leia warned.

Karibee flung her hands into the air. "What should I call you, then?"

"Ember. Ember Moon. If anyone asks, that's my name," Leia said.

"All right, Em. Stay here."

Leia watched as Karibee faded out of view. She ducked back into their tent. Leia suddenly was exhausted. She laid on the ground, hoping for some sleep. She mostly just felt miserable. Leia hadn't told Karibee, but she felt nauseous now. At some points, Leia thought she was going to faint.

She must have fallen asleep (or passed out) because when Leia woke up, the stars were shinning. Leia stretched and went outside to search for Karibee. Her friend wasn't there. Where could Karibee have gone? Maybe she got kidnapped by pirates. Perhaps she was still in town shopping. Or Karibee was… dead. What if the empire had found her? What if the empire was after Leia next?

Leia didn't sleep for the rest of the night. Only stood outside watching for Karibee. At this point, Leia no longer cared about her needs for food, but for her friend. Karibee had been like her older sister. A friend. A companion.

In the morning, Leia gave up. Karibee was gone. At least she was with Marck now. Leia wondered what it was like to be dead. You would be apart of the force. Leia had known. Her father told her that when Leia asked about her mother. Maybe Karibee had met Padme. Maybe they were talking about how amazing Leia was. Leia smiled at the thought.

A voice interrupted Leia's thoughts.

"That's her, Aunt Beru! That's the girl from my dream!" a boy shouted.

"Shhh, Luke, we don't to scare her," a woman scolded.

Leia looked up at the boy. He was standing about ten feet away, but Leia could still make out his clear blue eyes. He had blonde hair that was in despite need of a cut, was very short for his age, and had light skin. He had a cleft chin, which Leia thought was cute.

"Hi!" he said, "I'm Luke Lars. That's my Aunt Beru over there." He pointed at the older woman. "Who are you?"

"L- Ember," Leia had to correct herself, "Ember Moon."

"Are you hungry, sweetie? Do you wanna come home with us? Maybe get some food?" Beru asked.

Leia nodded. Luke helped her up. The three of them walked across the plains to arrive at a moisture farm. Beru led Leia inside. Leia kept tripping. Her vision was starting to darken. She felt like she had been on the swings back home for over an hour. Beru took out a seat, which Leia sat down in. Beru fixed her something to eat. Leia didn't know. But it was the best thing she had ever eaten.

After she had finished, Beru took her hand and knelt down by her.

"Ember, would you like to stay with us? We would hate to have to send you back out there. Tatooine isn't safe for a fourteen-year-old girl," said Beru.

"You would let me stay?" Leia could not believe her ears.

"Would you, honey?" Beru's voice was hopeful.

"I would love to!" Leia exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

The door opened. A man, who looked to be about five-seven walked in. He took one glance at Leia and gave Beru a questioning look.

"Luke bringing girls home already?" he questioned.

"No, Owen. This is Ember. She's going to stay with us," explained Beru, she stood up and whispered to her husband, "Remember how we always wanted another child? This is our chance!"

Owen broke into a grin. "You can call me Uncle Owen, Ember. Ember Lars. I like that."

That night Beru tucked her in. Leia sunk into the warm sheets. She would choose this over any tent, any day.

For the first time in weeks, Leia felt safe.

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**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I think I'm going to try to update this every day or at least every other day. **

**I don't own Star Wars.**

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Chapter Three

_One Year Later_

"I swear, Mrs. Pay treats us like preschoolers!" Luke exclaimed at lunch, "Penpals? Seriously? I'm not five! We're fif_teen. _For goodness sakes!"

Their friend, Windy nodded his agreement. "I'm too old for these kind of things!"

"Well, according to Mrs. Pay, our pen pals are to _create an understanding of how our galaxy works. Maybe even consider how you want to contribute to this empire_," said Biggs, mimicking Mrs. Pay's Alderaan accent.

The friends laughed. Leia had been introduced to Luke's group of friends on the first day at his school. Leia loved school. She loved being other kids while she learned. She had despised being taught by a private tutor. Now she felt like a part of society.

As for her pen pal, Leia kind of liked him. He was some sort of pilot. Leia could tell he only wrote to her for the money, but Leia didn't mind. He wasn't so much of a baby about it.

"You know yesterday, when she was talking about Princess Leia?" Camie was saying when Leia snapped back to reality.

"Yeah?" asked Luke.

"Do you know who her mother is?" Camie wondered, "I mean, she has to of had one once."

"Deak, you don't care that she's missing. Just care about who her mom is," said Fixer.

"True," Luke agreed, "Do you wanna marry the emperor, Camie?"

Camie blushed. "N-no."

"Oh, admit it, Cam, bet ya you think he's so _hot_," Deak teased.

"No! Ember, help me out!"

Thankfully, the bell rang telling them to go back to class. Leia picked up her tray of food, dumped the scraps into the garbage. Her friends followed suit. They went to Mrs. Pay's classroom. Their teacher was standing in the front of their classroom. Leia took her seat in the second row next to Luke. All their teachers put Luke sitting next to Leia. They figured it would make her more open to the class. It did help. According to her, Leia had run away from her abusive father with her mother. But their ship had crashed. Her mother died. Leia had been camping out for four days until Beru found her and took her home. Everyone believed it. Once the next tarty bell rung, Mrs. Pay said,

"I have some very big news! In one week, you will get to meet your pen pal! We'll have a huge picnic and we'll get to learn more about our pen pal in person. Won't that be fun?"

The class was silent. Mrs. Pay looked frustrated.

"This has happen in all my classes!" she whispered to herself.

She got the class started by handing out their pen pals' letters. When Leia got hers, she opened it with curiosity. She wondered how her pen pal had reacted to the picnic.

_Ember, _

_Don't got much to say. I guess I can tell you everything at the picnic next week. Fantastic. _

_-Solo_

When Leia imagined his voice, she imagined him to be cocky and sarcastic. He only signed the name, Solo. Leia didn't know if that was his first or last name.

She would find out next week.

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**In the next chapter we'll get to see Han, I promise. **

**Please review!**

**Thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I haven't updated this in a while. **

**I don't own Star Wars.**

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Chapter Four

It had been a week and the picnic was today. Leia was sitting next to her friends. They were all in the large tent outside, waiting for Mrs. Pay to take them to their pen pal. Deak had already been led to his.

"Ember! Ember Lars!" Mrs. Pay called.

Leia turned to her friends. "Bye for now."

Camie gasped. Her blue eyes were wide with longing.

"What? What? What? Did you break another nail, Camie?" Biggs teased.

"No. But I just saw the cutest guy in the galaxy." Camie sighed.

"Cuter than the Emperor?" Luke questioned.

She ignored Luke's remark. "Just look at him." She pointed.

Leia followed her gaze to a tall man in his mid-twenties. Camie was right. He was cute. His chestnut colored hair was left messy. He had abs that girls would die for. And had a half smile that any girl would pass out after seeing.

"Ember Lars!" Mrs. Pay sounded annoyed.

"He's yours?!" exclaimed Camie.

"Guess so." Leia shrugged and approached her teacher. "Sorry, Mrs. Pay."

"Ember, this is your pen pal Mr. Han Solo," Mrs. Pay told Leia before winking at Han. She fetched the next pen pal. "Luke Lars!"

Leia faced her pen pal. "So?"

"So?" Han rerepeated.

Leia knew that he wanted to sound unimpressed, but the way he was looking Leia over, she knew he was awfully impressed. She waited for him to finish by looking down at her nails. Did he like her even though she had those scars over her face? Did he recognize her? Leia started to panic. Would he report her? Tell the world that he had found the Imperial Princess Leia Amidala Vader? So he could earn that reward?

"It's Han Solo?" Leia said once he was done.

"Yeah. Long story," Han replied.

"Well, it's Ember Moon Lars." Leia bit her lip. "Tell me about your family?"

Han gave her a stern look. "I don't talk about that kind of thing."

"Tell me about your, um, home planet," Leia suggested.

"That's not up for conversation, Your Highness."

Leia paled. "Don't call me that. Why in the first place?"

"You seem princessy enough. I mean is any girl _that_ graceful? Has _that _type of manners?"

His line had pushed Leia too far. She squeezed her hands into fists in order to get ready to punch him.

"What do you mean by _that_, Solo?" Leia snapped.

"I mean this."

Han pulled Leia up to him. He laid a long, sweet kiss on her. Han ran his hands through Leia's hair. He seemed to be confident about this. Leia, on the other hand, knew her heart was going to beat so hard that it was about it get out of her and run around the tent. Her arms were covered in goosebumps. When they broke away, Leia didn't waste any time in slapping Han.

"Ow!" Han cried, rubbing his cheek.

"Perhaps you've learned your lesson, _Solo_," Leia replied.

"What was that for?" Han wondered.

"Think hard about it. Think really, _really _ hard about it," said Leia as she tried not to lose her temper, "Now do you think that a girl that you just met would like it if you just went up to her and kissed her?"

"Any normal girl would," Han mumbled.

"You mean those naïve air heads who's only goal in life is to impress man that will only break their heart? I'm not one of those girls, Han," Leia told him.

Even though it had not been a good start, later that week, Leia and Han had agreed to write to each other more often. They knew that this was love.

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**Sorry if that was bad. I wrote it at one in the morning. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Star Wars. **

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Chapter Five

He sat alone. Vader had almost completely given up hope of finding his daughter. They had searched every corner of the galaxy. But, it seemed, the Force was hiding her from him. Hiding the only thing he lived for. But it was Vader's fault that all this had happened. The reason behind Leia's runaway was himself.

_Leia took a few steps back from the holo she was looking at. It was of her father. _Her father_ had done this. He had destroyed a planet. Her father had killed her mother. Not the mention killing all those other innocent people. He had murdered children. Children! _

_She couldn't life with all of this. Leia had to get away. From her father. She contacted Marck and Karibee Hems, two of her closets friends. They agreed to help her get away. It was then, Leia learned that they were unloyal to the Empire. She knew that they wouldn't give her away. _

_Vader knocked on her door, as Leia was packing a bag. "Leia? Leia, let me come in." _

_Leia ignored him. She stuffed a jacket into her backpack, than zipped it up. Leia slid it under her bed. Vader knocked again. _

_"__Let me in, Leia. I know what happened. You don't want to see me, but I can explain," Vader told her. _

_His daughter, blocked him from her mind. This drew the line for Vader. He lashed his anger out on pounding the door. _

_"__LEIA!" he shouted, "This is your last warning! Open this d*mn door!" _

_To his surprise, the door opened. There was Leia, tight-lipped and hands clenched. She glared at him. Leia yearned to challenge him to a duel, in order to take care of the man. But _he _was still her father. _

_"__Well, I did everything you asked. I opened the door and now you see me. I'm done," Leia sassed, before closing the door again. _

_As much as he wanted to, Vader didn't open the door up with the Force. He let Leia be angry at him. Maybe, they could talk in the morning. _

_Later that night, Vader went to cheek on Leia. He got no answer when he knocked. After fifteen minutes of straight knocking, Vader opened it, with the Force. _

_Leia wasn't in there. Vader cheeked everywhere, but he couldn't find her. He got stormtroopers to searched the halls. But Leia was no where to be found. _

_A commander, whom Vader didn't know well, ran up to him. He saluted. _

_ "__News about the princess, sir," he said, "We've discovered that she ran off with Marck and Karibee Hems." _

_Everything after that was a blur. Vader remembered getting into a ship. They flew around, looking for Leia. A ship was spotted. Vader didn't remember ordering it to fire at it, but someone did. The Tie-Fighter started to go down. Vader watched it crash on Tatooine. Then, they flew back. _

_Leia could on been on that ship. _

He went back to the present with that thought in his mind. Leia could have been on that ship. She could of crashed and was now dead. But something in the Force told him that Leia was alive. Very alive. Someone knocked on his door.

"Yes?" Vader called.

The same commander that had told Vader that Leia was with the Hems came inside, saluting, once again. But this time he brought better news.

"Sir, the princess has been reported to be on Tatooine," he informed Vader.

A smile crept up on Vader's face. His first true smile in five years. He would have his daughter back, soon. In no time at all, Leia would be back in his arms.

"Prepare my ship," he ordered, "We are preparing a rescue."

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	6. Chapter 6

**This is in honor of the new Star Wars movie trailer. **

**I don't own Star Wars. **

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Chapter Six

Leia's day wasn't suppose to end this way. She scanned her memory to find out what she had done that made this happen. But Leia didn't know. What had she done to make the day end like it had?

Beru and herself were out picking their crops. Leia was humming to herself. Her and Luke's birthday were in a month. Leia had recently had a conversation with Ben Kenobi. She didn't understand why her uncle hated him so much. Ben was a nice guy. A bit out there, but not like other farmers at the market, who yelled at you to buy their products and cursed you if you bought them less for what the price was.

The sky darkened. But it was mid-afternoon.

"That's strange," Beru stated, looking up.

Leia followed her aunt in scanning the sky. Or, what she could see of it. The figure blocked the two suns. Above the two of them, was a large, dark ship. It had the sign of the Emperor on it. Leia recognized it right away.

"Aunt Beru, we have to run," said Leia, trying not to let her panic show.

"Why, Em?" her aunt questioned.

Leia gulped. "Because that's Darth Vader's ship. You _have _to hid me, please."

Together they ran, hand in hand. When they reached the house, Beru pushed Leia into a closet. That was all she could think of in her state of panic. Beru didn't know why she had to hide Leia, but something inside of her told her so. If Beru's mind was clearer she could of thought to hide Leia in the storage bins below ground level. But Leia would have to make do with what she had.

After Beru was able to give a quick explanation, there was a knock at the door. A knock? The Emperor wouldn't need to knock. Would he? _He _was the leader of the galaxy. Surly someone at the top of the pecking order wouldn't knock.

Owen answered it. He was good at acting as if he was shocked that the emperor came knocking on his door. Behind the leader was a pack of stormtroppers. Guns at the ready.

"M-My lord," Owen stuttered out, he bobbed his head. In the background, Beru and Luke were on their knees bowing. "What brings you here?"

Vader started him down. His eyes were yellow, Owen didn't know much about the emperor, but he could guess that this wasn't a good thing.

"You have something I want back. Or should I say, _someone,_" Vader said, though clenched teeth.

Panic washed through Owen. Had Vader been able to figure out that Luke was his son? But how could he? Luke didn't exist in the galaxy. He had no records. Obi-Wan had made sure of that.

"Um, who might that be, sir?" Owen squeaked out. He dared to look back at his wife. She couldn't hide her terror.

"My daughter. The Imperial Princess Leia Vader. I want her back, _now,_" he hissed. "Find her."

The troppers followed his orders. They ran into their house, pointing their blasters at Beru and Luke. Some went right, the others left. Searching for their princess.

Leia couldn't stop shacking in the tight space she was in. She'd heard everything. The stormtroppers would find her. Then she would be returned to her father. The very man Leia had run away from. Leia shifted in order to try to make herself more comfortable. The wooden panel she was sitting on, creaked with the effort. A sound that her father's little army picked up on, Leia knew.

"I think we've found her," she heard a stormtroppers say. "Come out, Princess. We were instructed not to hurt you."

No. Leia wouldn't come out if it was the last thing she did. Stubbornness came in handy at times like this.

"Princess," they called again, "Come out, now." He waited for a second. "We're coming in, Princess."

_Please, no! _Leia wanted to scream. But her lips wouldn't move. She wouldn't even talk to them.

The door opened. Leia had been found. She just stared at the stormtroppers for a moment. They hadn't changed at all. The tone that they spoke in, their uniforms. Everything was the same.

"Can you walk, your highness?" One of them asked.

"Are you hurt?" another wondered.

Leia ignored them. She let them help her up. Leia allowed herself to be practically pushed to the front room. There was her father, scanning through her adopted family's minds. They were all on the ground. Vader searched for answers. He occasionally asked them questions. Beru could barley make out answers; her voice was shaking so much.

"Stop!" Leia ordered, running to her family. She held Beru to her chest and kissed her the crown of her head.

"Leia!" Vader exclaimed.

A rush of emotions tore through him. Joy to be able to see his daughter again after all those years. Anger- why would Leia run away? She had the best life he could grant her, after all. Sadness- if only Padme could be there. Fear- was she hurt?

Vader tore free of his emotions and ran to his long lost daughter. He put his long arms around her. But Leia didn't embrace him back. It didn't matter. He had found her.

"Come on, Leia. We're going home."

Home was all that Vader wanted; home with his daughter again and the palace the last thing Leia wanted.

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**Writing Vader, is the hardest character for me to write, so sorry if he acts a bit OOC. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry, I haven't updated this in a while! **

**I don't own Star Wars. **

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Chapter Seven

Leia refused to talk. Not to answer any questions. Not to thank anybody. The entire ride home, she had her back facing her father. Tears came to her eyes when she thought about the family she was leaving behind. Beru, a mother figure to her. Luke was practically her brother. Owen was, well, Owen. But she would even miss him.

At nineteen years old, she had been caught. It was a miracle that she hadn't been sooner. Deep down Leia was thankful for that. But she would be even more grateful, if she wasn't found at all. Back at the palace, Leia was poked by med-droids and questioned by her father. When he finally lost his patience and gave up, he ordered some a her old nannies to ask her about what had happened. Leia still refused to let out a word.

That night, Leia was finally left alone. She laid back down on her old bed, memories from years ago returned to her. Everything was in the place that it had been before she'd run away. The same old dolls on her shelves. Even when she was fourteen, Leia didn't play with them. It was still nice to have them close by her. Just in case. With a smile, Leia let her mind wander to memories of her with Han. Her cocky lover. Now what would he think? Knowing that he had kissed the emperor's daughter. Fell in love with the princess. Not only that but, what was going on with her adoptive family? Were they alright now?

When Leia woke, the first thing she did was look on the holonet to see if her arrival had been broadcasted to the public. Fortunately, her father hadn't told anyone else. Yet.

Someone knocked on the door. Leia got up from her bed to answer it. Dasha, an old nanny that Leia remained close to, was there. A nervous look was in her eyes.

"Your father told me to inform you that your arrival will be broadcasted to the public in one week time," she said.

Leia nodded. "Thank you, Missy Dasha."

Dasha bowed. "Of course, your highness."

Just how was her arrival to be told to the public this time was what Leia wondered. For the first time in years, she was Princess Leia. Not Ember. If she were to be honest, Leia somewhat missed being called Ember. To her the name had a spark to it. Giving her hope.

The next weeks passed in a blur. Her father came in everyday and questioned her. Leia didn't answer any of his wonderings. At night, she was scrubbed of the dirt that seemed to always cover her on Tatooine. One good thing about being home was being able to take hour long baths that Leia was extremely guilty of.

Before the welcome ceremony, Leia was dressed in a floor length white dress with half sleeves. It was made from silk. Leia spun around in front of the mirror. This was the dressed she picked out when she was seven. Leia planned to wear it on her coronation day, but Vader thought it fit to have her wear it today. The day the galaxy welcomed their princess home.

Leia was put next to her father on an altar. Before the camera's started rolling and the public got their first glimpse of the returned the girl. Leia looked forward. Not at her father.

"I know you're mad, but I am sorry for what I did. Please forgive me," said Vader.

Now he was begging for her forgiveness. When Leia thought about it, it was because of anger that her mother died. He didn't want to lose her either. Leia ignored him.

"Please, Leia," he continued, turning to face her.

"How could I?" Leia hissed.

"Five seconds, Emperor Vader!"

"Five."

"Please, Leia. I'm sorry."

"Four."

"And how does sorry do those innocent people any good?"

"Three."

"Let it at least change the way you see me now."

"Two."

"I'm afraid that can't happen anymore."

"One."

"Leia-"

The wall in front of them was removed. Thousands of people were facing them. Cheering for the lost princess. The daughter of the galaxy that had been missing for five years. Now she was safe. Stormtroopers surrounded the two of them. Making sure no one would try to harm Leia.

Leia, knowing her duties, waved to the people. A fake smile was spread on her face. A group of children were in the front. Orphans, who's caretakers were only able to get them tickets to such an important event. Leia blew kisses to them. Everyone tried to ignore it, but they saw the hurt in their leader's face. His rejection.

After the crowed died down, Vader stood upstage to make his speech. Leia wasn't far behind him.

"A week ago today, my daughter, your Imperial Princess returned home," Vader began, "We would like to celebrate her return. There was festivities planned for later. But first, who would like to know who kidnapped my daughter?"

No. This couldn't be happening. If Vader was planning to kill the Lars, the family Leia had grown so close to… Please, no. Leia looked around, panicked. The crowed cheered. Most of them wanted to see human suffering. Especially to "these villains".

Owen, Beru, and Luke came out. Each had a stormtrooper on their back. Making sure they didn't escape their chains. Vader's eyes were turning bright red. The Lars were going to die. Leia couldn't let that happen to them.

"No!"

* * *

**I would be lying to say that I didn't enjoy writing this chapter. **

**Thanks for reading! Please reivew! They help me to update faster!**


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